


It Takes Time

by amiavegetable



Category: Lie to Me (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, honestly i finished the series like a year ago im still mad, how it should have ended, this is really old
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-06-09 02:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6886603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amiavegetable/pseuds/amiavegetable
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Cal and Gillian get the happy ending they deserve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Takes Time

**Author's Note:**

> i was looking through some old stuff and i found this from when i finished watching lie to me a year ago or so and liked it
> 
> also this has lots and lots of insiders and possible (?) spoilers in it so you might not understand anything if you haven't watched lie to me sorry (i highly recommend watching it it's great)

Emily tilts her head. She's got that look in her eyes where he always knows what she is about to say next means trouble, the sort of trouble that stays between him and Em, the sort of trouble that really is nothing but his daughter reading him better than he ever could.

“I've got one question”, she says. Cal looks at her. His wonderful daughter, wearing an expression so full of worry it almost seems like guilt to him.

“Gillian.” He should have seen that one coming.

“Do you love her?” He definitely should have seen that one coming. Should have seen Em being way better at reading the people she cares about than him.

“Of course I love her, I do”, he says, defensively. He's deflecting, of course he is, and of course he can't help but read it on himself and in his own actions. Emily pushes further, something she's never done before.

“No, I mean...do you love her. Like really love her.”

He looks up. Her eyes are on him, her gaze steady. The one that shows that she won't accept his usual bullshit for an answer. He feels a small smile tug at his lips. So much like him. “Yeah. I do.”

She curls up against him. “Then what the hell are you waiting for, dad?”

Cal closes his arms around her. “I really don't have an answer to that one, love.”

-

It's just a matter of time, really. Again, he should have seen it coming. Torres is a woman, he guesses it's some kind of female sixth sense like a gut feeling he'll never understand. She stops him when they're coming back from working on a case together, like back in the days where she was his protégée and he still thought he was better at his job than her. Sometimes he can't believe how old he is. He sees now that it's not a matter of being better or worse at it, it's about the different approach. On their own they'd never see the whole picture, that's why they're a team. He wouldn't ever admit that he needs his team to anyone, though. Loker would be so full of himself he'd become even more annoying than he already is. He's about to stomp off into his office, the back part, and get some peace and quiet on his 'work couch' like he calls it (he likes to think of the times Clara sat on there with her legs crossed and her lips pouting at him.) Hell, he deserves some peace and quiet.

But Torres obviously has different plans. She's never been afraid of him. He slumps on his couch and looks at her past his feet on the coffee table. “What do you want?”

She crosses her arms. “I want you to open your eyes.”

He raises one eyebrow. She takes one step forward, unfolding her arms. Her eyes narrow.

“Lightman. I've been watching this for three and a half years. You-”

He jumps to his feet. “That's enough, darling”, he says, pointing a finger at her. “Isn't there work for you to do? If not, find Loker and tell him to give you something to work on.”

She's still standing in the doorway, her arms crossed again. He makes a waving gesture with his hand. “Sod off!”

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Whatever”, she mutters, exiting his office. Cal looks at the pen in his hand. How did it get there? Isabella the pug seems to be smirking at him from her picture frame.

 

He wouldn't have expected Anna to see it. Then again, she did a good job looking at that picture of the cops when they were working on that case where this teenager kidnapped his baby sister. Sometimes he forgets that she isn't just a phone holder and coffee machine.

It happens the week after his encounter with Torres, and he's almost forgotten it. Almost. He chimes in, rushing down the hallway past the facial expressions and Anna's desk. “Dr. Lightman, there's someone in the waiting room for you. I've told him you had time.”

He scrunches up his nose. “Anna. I've got a book to write.”

Sympathy washes over Anna's face for a split second, then she smiles. “I'll tell Dr. Foster to do it, then-”

He stops in his tracks. Crap, he forgot Gillian wanted to have this day off. That woman and her bloody holidays. (He knows it's not fair. Gillian hasn't had a day off in almost two years. Still. It's hard to admit that he notices when she's gone.) He turns back to Anna. “You know what? Tell him I'll be there in a second. Oh, and call Foster and tell her to bloody relax. She deserves it.”

Anna might be able to read something more or less obvious out of a cop's body language but hiding her smiles is not her thing. “Alright, then”, she says, beaming a little too much for his liking.

He cocks his head. “What?”

She looks up from her notes, her smile polite and professional again. “Nothing.”

“Bolocks”, he mumbles, walking away. He can practically smell her lies.

 

He bumps into the girl on his way back from the cube. He stares at her face and tries to remember her name. He always forgets her name, always. Gillian always makes sure to make him feel just a tiny bit bad about that. She says something he doesn't understand and he just keeps staring at her, trying to figure out the reason why exactly he hasn't fired her yet. Or why she hasn't resigned yet.

“Say that again”, he says, his finger raised to the girl's face.

She sighs. “I went through the files and got the diagrams you asked for, Dr. Lightman”, she repeats, holding out a stack of paper. He wastes one look at it, then puts what he calls a polite smile on his face. “Why, thank you. Put those into my office, please.”

She doesn't move. He raises his eyebrows. “This year, love.”

She's still not moving, clutching the papers. Her mouth opens and closes like she wants to say something but nothing comes out, and this time it's not because of her inability to speak clearly. A hand settles on his shoulder in a way he knows so well, Gillian's subtle perfume tickling his nose as he turns around. She smiles at him. It's her business smile, not her- the other smile. 

“Can I borrow you for a moment?”, she asks, nodding at the girl, who's looking downright bewildered now. She stutters something like “I was- uh, I was going to go anyway”, waving the papers and disappears down the hall.

“Oi! What was your name again?”, he shouts after her but she doesn't respond. He turns to Gillian, casually looping an arm around her waist as they're walking the other direction. “What was that about?”

She gives him one of her looks, the one where he never quite knows what he's done wrong now. “You should learn to remember things better, you know”, she says. He throws his arms up. “But that's what I do, love, every day, every minute!”

She just shakes her head and smiles, heading to the lab.

 

When Loker gets involved he gets suspicious.

“Did Foster send you?”, he asks, looking up from his sandwich. Loker blinks and interrupts pouring his coffee. Poor man was never good at multi tasking. “No?”

Cal narrows his eyes. “But someone sent you. Who was it?”

He abandons his sandwich and steps to Loker at the coffee table. “Emily?”

He steps closer. “Torres?” Loker's eyelashes flutter. Cal nods. “Torres.”

Loker puts his coffee down. “Look, I just- she's right, you know. You help all those people find the truth but you won't even admit to it as soon as it comes to yourself-”

Cal leans back. “You know, the problem with you, Loker, is that you think you're oh so smart.”

Loker rolls his eyes. He thinks he's not the only one.

“You're saying I'm in denial, but really? Look at yourself.” Cal pauses. “I'm not the only one”, he says, repeating Loker's thoughts. He sees the realisation creep onto the younger's face.

“Oh, no. We're not turning this about me and R-”

A sheepish smile appears on Cal's face. He walks back to the table, picking up his sandwich. “Greet Torres from me”, he says through a mouthful of cheese and tomato.

 

Back in his office he drops the dripping sandwich onto the desk and calls Wallowski.

“Hey, Shazza”, he says just to hear her annoyed huff. She's adorable when she does that.

“What do you want?”, she asks. “I'm assuming this isn't for a case.”

He gets on his feet, holding the phone between his shoulder and head. “Nah. Care to meet up?”

The line stays silent for a while. “Sure”, she says finally.

“Alright, see you then”, he says and hangs up.

They meet outside of the police building. He watches her approach with a frown on her face. That could mean something, but then again Wallowski is almost always frowning. She's a tough woman, that one. She sits down on the bench next to him. “So?”

He says nothing, just looks at her face. There's a twitch of something she dreads to tell him. “What is it?”, he asks back. She looks away.  
“I'm transferring departments.”

He blinks, trying to figure out what he feels. It's silly, this never was about feelings. “Where?”

“Chicago.” He almost laughs. Her and Zoe would make a good team of... whatevers. She turns back to him. Her face is close, so close. So easy to read. It's always been easy to read her, so unlike- He turns his head. She does, too, and he thinks he sees understanding in the slight nod of her head. With a smile she gets on her feet.

“Goodbye, Cal”, she says firmly. “You should call Gillian.”

 

“You should call Gillian.” He groans. Emily is adamant.

“Dad, come on!” She yanks the blankets away from him. “It's her birthday, you can't just ignore her.”

Cal buries his head in one of the pillows. He's managed to spend most of the day on the couch, hiding behind blankets and the excuse of a cold. Emily was not amused when she came back from her friend's house.

“Ask her out! Buy her fancy dinner and tell her you love her!” Cal buries his head in his hands. Why is she so much like his mum?

“Em, look, I can't just-” Emily takes his hands and pulls them away from his face. “Dad.”

He closes his eyes. “Alright, fine.”

When she picks up the phone he can hear the smile in her voice and that almost makes up for everything. “I'll see you at seven”, she says. Cal looks at Emily, who's looking at him from across the room. “I'll see you, love.”

Gillian looks absolutely beautiful and he tells her that, leading her to the car like the gentleman he is. He's told her so many times. It still amazes him. He keeps his eyes on her candle-lit face during the dinner but it's so much harder all of a sudden when their fingertips keep almost touching on the table. He doesn't really taste any of what he's eating.

When they step outside she's looking at him. He looks at the car in front of them, the street, the sky.

“You know”, he starts, “when you had that boyfriend. Dave. Who got abducted.”

He risks one look at her face, knowing that Dave is a touchy subject. Her features are relaxed, her eyes smiling. Always so understanding. “What about him, Cal?”

Cal scratches the back of his neck. “Remember when he asked me if I was jealous? If the reason I didn't like him was because I was in love with you? And I said yes?”

He feels his mouth twitching. Why is this this so hard? “It was the truth.You know that, do you?”

She looks down, smiling. “I do. But you're a very good liar.”

“I've never lied to you.”

She raises one finger, imitating him. “Now that is a lie.”

He closes his eyes. He's smiling so hard his cheeks hurt and he doesn't even care. “I can't read you.” He opens his eyes again, looks into hers. “Never could.”

His hands are on her face, his fingertips grazing her cheekbones, like he has done so many times. She just keeps smiling, her non-business smile, the smile he fell in love with- there, he admitted it. Take that Loker.

He throws his arms in the air. “Jesus Christ, Gil, why do you think all those women never met Emily?”

And then, finally, she stops smiling and kisses him. “You're an idiot”, she says.

“Happy Birthday”, he murmurs against her lips.

-

Zoe calls some weeks later. Gillian picks up the phone in the lounge and there is some awkward silence but they handle it well, as far as Cal can judge from the kitchen. Luckily Emily enters the house in the right moment and drops her school bag on the floor. “Hey, Gil”, she says, flopping onto the couch. Gillian smiles and shakes her head. Like her father. Cal takes the phone.

“Zoe”, he says. “How are you?”

He hears her sighing. “I'm fine, yeah. Firm is going well. Thought I'd call to check on you.”

He puts down the pan. “Why?”

He hears some rustling and the clicking of heels as if she's walking down a hall. Busy woman, that one.

She sighs again. “Are you happy, Cal?”

He frowns. “Happy? What kind of question-”

He's interrupted by a loud bang. “Sorry”, Emily calls from the living room. “Dropped a book.”

He watches Emily get the book off the floor and Gillian sit down next to her and smiling. Emily smiles back. He doesn't need to be as good at his job as he is for this one. His gaze drops back to the stir-fry he's making and everything is so disgustingly domestic that he can't help but smile, too. “Yeah, Zoe. I am happy.”


End file.
